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Severe summer weather cost $7 billion in most destructive season on record

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TORONTO – The Insurance Bureau of Canada says summer of 2024 is now Canada’s most destructive season on record for insured losses due to severe weather events.

The bureau estimates the damages for a group of storms and wildfires at a combined $7 billion in insured losses, topping the $6.2 million cost of the Fort McMurray, Alta., wildfire in 2016.

That’s 10 times higher than the average $701 million a year for severe weather losses between 2001 and 2010.

IBC president Celyeste Power says wildfire in Jasper, Alta., flooding in southern Ontario and Quebec, and an Alberta hailstorm resulted in about 228,000 insurance claims, which is up 406 per cent compared with a two-decade average.

The agency is asking provincial and federal governments to respond to climate change as a crisis and collaborate in reducing disaster risk.

The bureau says severe weather in 2023 caused more than $3.1 billion in insured damage across Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

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HandyDART strike in Metro Vancouver ending as workers ratify new deal with TransDev

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VANCOUVER – The union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver has voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement with TransDev, which says it aims for full service to resume by the end of the week.

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724 voted Monday to ratify the deal, giving workers a “significant” wage increase, that the union says would address the staffing shortages.

TransDev says it’s pleased the three-week strike is coming to an end.

About 600 HandyDART employees started strike action on Sept. 3, pausing service except for essential medical trips.

ATU Local 1724 President Joe McCann says the strike showed the power of the union, and ratifying the contract is great for union members.

The union also says the new contract with TransDev pushes back on the use of taxis through creative language on shift scheduling and reporting.

Transdev is the contracted operator of HandyDART, which serves people who are unable to navigate the conventional transit system.

The company says in a statement that service “will resume progressively this week,” with the goal of normal service levels by Friday.

It says customers looking for information about particular trips can phone the HandyDART call centre.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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Guilbeault calls out Poilievre over 2023 fundraiser with oil and gas executives

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OTTAWA – Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault is calling out Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for holding a fundraising last year in Banff, Alta., with oil and gas sector executives.

An Elections Canada filing shared by the Liberals shows that a number of executives, including one from a major oil and gas company, attended a Conservative fundraiser advertised as “An Evening with Pierre Poilievre” on April 11, 2023.

Records show Alexander Pourbaix, executive chair of the board of directors at Cenovus, donated $1,600 to Conservative Party of Canada the next day.

Guilbeault says Poilievre’s pledge to do away with carbon pricing is about helping his “rich friends.”

Poilievre has promised to “axe” the consumer carbon price, which was brought in by the Liberals to encourage consumers and small businesses to reduce carbon-emitting consumption.

The Conservative leader has not made his position clear on the industrial carbon pricing system, which makes big polluters pay on a portion of their emissions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

Note to readers: A previous version of this story identified Alexander Pourbaix as the CEO of Cenovus. He now holds the title of executive chair of the board of directors.

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Health Canada approves Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine

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Health Canada has approved Pfizer-BioNTech’s updated COVID-19 vaccine that protects against one of the most recently circulating variants of the virus.

The mRNA vaccine, called Comirnaty, targets the KP.2 subvariant of Omicron, replacing the previous version which targeted the XBB.1.5 Omicron subvariant.

Health Canada recently asked provinces and territories to get rid of their older COVID-19 vaccines to ensure the most current vaccine will be used during this fall’s respiratory virus season.

Comirnaty is the third updated COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada for this season, following its authorization of Moderna’s Spikevax mRNA vaccine and Novavax’s protein-based vaccine, Nuvaxovid, last week.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are approved for adults and for children six months of age and older.

Novavax is approved for adults and for children 12 years and older.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2024.

Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.

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